When I first started watching this, I considered it another mediocre Netflix offering. But the longer I watched the more interested I became in the plot twists and ingenious scenarios.
One must first realize this is shoenen anime, so it is going to appeal primarily to younger viewers drawn by the constant action, explosions, fancy weapons, and adrenaline factor. They will tend to give it absurdly high scores, a lot of 10-star "best animation ever!" reviews, etc. While it targets its audience well... that doesn't mean it will appeal to more discerning anime tastes.
The basic plot and story progress is fairly good, as are the characters. However some will have trouble getting past the simplistic animation. Yuma's triple-slit eyes and pouty-mouth trope that they employ several times every episode gets tiring very quickly. It's a poor choice of animation style in such a serious storyline.
The dubbed translation and captioned translation are very different, making it very difficult to follow both at the same time. This could cause issues for the hearing impaired.
Another strike against it is the typical "let's stand and have lengthy discussions while the enemy politely waits for us to finish". Such monologues can and do quickly become frustratingly unrealistic. A viewer can also become very tired of characters being told to run for their lives... only to just stand there and either discuss the matter or watch the ensuing fight against extremely dangerous robotic monsters. Both civilian and ranked characters disobey direct orders to leave the area, making it more difficult for experienced warriors to fight unhindered. "Outstandingly stupid" doesn't even come close... especially when survival of non-combatants is a key issue. Realistically, people would be running exactly as they were told... and likely before they were told.
Overall the story is rather good, and at some times splendid. Yes, it is just one battle after another, but they take time to develop the characters' personalities, subtle interactions, and even offer a bit of humor at times. The strategies employed during battle are often brilliant, but sometimes jump the shark more than a little.
Some have pointed out the abrupt ending of the anime, with resolution of one part of the story but the overall story arc left unfinished. A bit of research shows this is because the Manga it is based on hasn't been finished (as of January 2025)... and the creator of the series is suffering from repeated serious health issues that has put the manga on at least temporary hiatus. Whether the series is ever finished (either in manga or anime) remains to be seen.
That recognized, the story is still good enough to push through the so-so animation. This anime isn't about animation. It's about characters, story, strategy, and adrenaline. Given what it is, it does the job well enough. But be prepared going in: the series is 99 episodes long as of the writing of this review... and at this time it's not finished. To its credit, it is the first anime I have ever watched through that many episodes.
The animation is fast-moving, but blase and repetitious. I give the series 7 stars for adequate plot and story. That said, many viewers likely won't be able to sit through 99 episodes of this heavy-shoenen series.
